Robin knows my heart so well, and sharing this unbearably lovely space meant a great deal to me. After Tess's music lesson with Robin, the girls and I began our journey. We walked towards town, chatting, looking at the newest renovations of old homes, and wondering just what we would find at the end of this journey towards the mysterious alley.
We first saw a little table filled with photos, paper and pens for notes and thoughts, and tales of the origin of this space. There was also a blackboard telling of an upcoming "Art in the Alley" to be held next weekend, featuring a watercolorist and a photographer. We were already beyond thrilled.
The story of the alley is this...the artist who created the space, moved into an apartment above the storefront in November. The space looked sad she said, and so she went about making it....as it is today....a place of beauty, serenity and peace.
The photos that follow cannot properly convey the feeling the alley brings. The girls and I felt we could linger there forever. We sat and talked and looked at each and every item this wonderful artist had placed there.
There were photos and pottery...
...architectural elements...
...china and cutlery upended among the plants...
...gentle sayings and poetry...
...a small glass table where treats await those who come to visit...
...plates of cookies and small candies, biscuits for dogs, water dishes for the thirsty pets who might be along, ashtrays, scented candles, gardening gloves, sun hats, and tools for tending the plants and flowers....so much more than I can list here.
We sat for a while, and then walked for a bit down to the ice cream store, then realized that we needed to come back to sit some more, and so we did.
When we left the alley to head to the store, one of the ashtrays contained a few cigarette butts.
When we returned with the girls ice cream, the ashtrays had been emptied. We don't know who had done this, but it somehow added to the aura, the mystery of the alley.
And so we sat some more, trying to understand why this little alley in the middle of downtown Arlington Heights felt so quiet and peaceful. Why did we know that we would return here again and again? Maybe it doesn't matter why we felt this way...only that we did.
When we left for the day, we too emptied an ashtray, and up righted a candle that had fallen over. I think that we needed to help keep this space lovely. Next time, we will bring cookies to place on the platter to share.